Urban Planner: January 7, 2013

Jay McCarrol (second from the left, plaid shirt) with the cast of Second City's touring company, as of August. Photo by Emily Benjamin.

LECTURE: A new year, a new crop of lecturers at Trampoline Hall. From the event listing: “Sarah Treleaven on the Backyard Chicken; Mitch Smolkin on The History of Dentures; Hannah Wise on Laughing When Things Are Not Funny.” What few at-the-door tickets may be left will go on sale at 6:30 p.m. tonight. The Garrison (1197 Dundas Street West), 8 p.m., $5.

COMEDY: Second City’s touring company changes its roster fairly often, as cast members are frequently called up to the Mainstage revue. Musical director Jay McCarrol, however, has been tickling the ivories (and composing music) for the Monday night Toronto show (and shows across the country) for seven years. Tonight, after his final performance for the company, during the Best of Second City revue, cast members past and present will give McCarrol a musical send-off in the post-show improv set. Second City Toronto (51 Mercer Street), 8 p.m., $14 + tax.

NEXT STAGE: The 2013 Next Stage Theatre Festival kicked off last Wednesday, with a lineup that includes gospel music, celebrity cabaret, hockey demons, and more. Many shows are already selling out, and the heated beer tent has been packed. You can find our preview of the festival here. We’ll have reviews of every show later today.

Urban Planner is Torontoist‘s guide to what’s on in Toronto, published every weekday morning, and in a weekend edition Friday afternoons. If you have an event you’d like considered, email all of its details—as well as images, if you’ve got any—to events@torontoist.com.